Fight Over Prop 10 Continues

September 27, 2018

By Angelica Garcia

With the November elections just a few weeks away, senators, mayors and businessmen have come out against Proposition 10, assuring that it would deepen the housing crisis in San Diego and the rest of the state.

However, a different reality can be felt in San Diego streets, homes, and places of employment, where thousands of families who struggle month to month to pay their rent have come out to march asking voters to support Proposition 10, also known as the Affordable Housing Act, which will be on the ballot this coming November.

According to members of South Bay Grassroots, Prop 10 is the only possible solution for putting a stop to the high rents and out-of-control increases in our region, as this initiative would give the power to set fair limits on rent prices back to local communities.

With less than six weeks to go before the state elections, residents have taken to the streets joined by coalitions such as National City Families for Fair Housing as part of the Yes on 10 campaign, as did other California communities disproportionally impacted by this issue, such as Oakland, San Francisco, and Los Angeles.

“While we cannot match the tens of millions of dollars that corporate realtors are pouring into the campaign against Prop 10, they cannot match the people who will fight to get it passed and protect California renters,” said Sasha Graham, chair of the Alliance of Californians for Community Empowerment.

Members of the Latino community and others affected by the issue also expressed their concern for the lack of effective action to put an end to a problem that is hurting millions of California families for whom homeownership is but a dream.

“Seven years after my family moved here from Mexico, my parents were finally able to start making payments on their own home,” said National City resident Jose Rodriguez. “My life changed that day. For me and my brothers, this meant having stability at home. We need rent controls so that people can save money and eventually buy their own homes.”

In San Diego, Assembly members such as Lorena Gonzalez Fletcher acknowledged how difficult it is for community members to afford a home, and the need to end increases that can even double the price of rent.

“I think that National City is going through a unique situation, where we have to look at rent control as an idea. I know, I have lived in San Diego’s City Heights area, but my rents went up by 10 percent, and that is way too much for a family to sustain,” said Gonzalez-Fletcher, who represents California’s 80th District.

As part of the campaign, people were also encouraged to look at National City’s Measure W. According to South Bay Grassroots, Measure W would promote community and neighborhood stability through rent controls and halting arbitrary evictions. It also guarantees property owners a reasonable return on their investment in homes, and protection for new homeowners, they said.